


The New Girl

by inkahgase



Category: GOT7
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 11:54:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22702417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkahgase/pseuds/inkahgase
Summary: Mark and Jinyoung are best friends and roommates who live a peaceful life. That is until the new girl moves into their apartment building and into their hearts. Will they both fall for the new girl?
Relationships: Mark Tuan/You
Kudos: 10





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a collaboration I did with @got7-markjinson on tumblr. This is from Mark's POV. To see Jinyoung's give her blog a visit :)

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Mark groaned, picking up his spare pillow and covering his face with it. Maybe if he did this, he’d be able to ignore the person that was disturbing the peace at an ungodly hour.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Mark kicked his legs out under the blanket in a tantrum, before hurling his pillow at the wall. _Curse Jinyoung for picking the back room!_ Though it made sense; Jinyoung’s job as a teacher didn’t have erratic hours like his job as a paramedic. He was just grumpy that he got to miss out on his sleep in today.

He clasped his hands together in prayer, hoping that the person at the door had already left.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Of course, he wasn’t so lucky. He whined before tearing the blanket off of his body and peeling himself off of his bed. If the person was this insistent, it was probably Mrs. Kim — their building super — with an important notice. Mark struggled to find a shirt in his sleepy state so he opted to answer the door in whatever he was wearing. It was nothing Mrs. Kim hadn’t witnessed before anyway.

Mark opened the door swiftly, his left hand leaning on the wall to help support his weight since his body hadn’t completely woken up yet. “Mrs. Kim—” he started but found himself unable to finish because it was definitely not Mrs. Kim standing at the door, but rather the prettiest girl he’d ever seen. “You’re not Mrs. Kim.”

“You’re not wearing a shirt,” the beautiful stranger pointed out.

Mark’s eyes widened, surprised at your forwardness. From the way your eyes opened up like saucers and the way your face turned crimson, it seemed that you were surprised too. He couldn’t help the smirk that graced his face, until the words that you uttered sunk in. _You’re not wearing a shirt_.

His eyes quickly darted down, seeing himself in nothing but his boxers. His whole chest exposed to you. “Sorry, I don’t normally answer the door like this,” Mark scratched the back of his neck nervously, cheeks warming up from embarrassment. “I’m still half asleep, that’s all. I’m not usually up this early.”

Mark watched as you tucked your hair behind your ears with shaky fingers in an attempt to calm yourself. Suddenly, he wished he could be the one to do that for you.

“God, I’m so sorry,” you broke through his thoughts. “I didn’t even realise how early it was. I was just so excited to hand these out to everyone while they’re fresh.”

Mark huffed out as you thrust a plate into his chest, and quickly grabbed onto it to stop it falling on the floor. He looked up at you in question and found himself laughing at your adorable state; with your arms stretched out and face in utter shock.

“I’m sorry,” you winced in embarrassment. “I’m such a klutz. Did I hurt you?”

“I’m fine,” Mark assured you, before looking down at the plate in his hands. “Cookies?”

“I baked them,” you revealed with a proud smile. “I thought I’d bake some for everyone as a way to introduce myself since I’m new in town and in this building.”

Realisation dawned on him. “Ah, the new girl. Mrs. Kim did tell us about you moving in.” Mark picked up a cookie and examined it. “You’re a few doors down right?”

“Yeah, I’m the one with the red—”

“_Holy hell_, this is delicious,” Mark declared, mouth full of chunks of cookies. “You made these?”

“I did,” you beamed. “I’m glad you like them! I’ll be selling them— _oh my gosh_, I have to go. Before my whole apartment catches on fire. It was nice to meet you! See you later!”

Mark watched you run to the red door down the hallway, shutting up your beeping watch on the way. You gave him a tentative wave which he returned before you disappeared into your home. Mark shook his head, chuckling as he closed the door and headed to his kitchen bench.

Sitting on one of the stools, Mark picked up the next cookie and smiled to himself as he imagined your cute face. As he devoured them one by one, he thought about the blush that tinted your cheeks when you noticed he was shirtless. The way your eyes widened when you realised you said your thoughts out loud. The way your face lit up as you talked about the cookies.

Mark laughed to himself again. You were beyond cute.

“You had breakfast already?” Jinyoung grumbled from the hallway, voice still full of sleep, interrupting his reverie.

“Nah, just cookies,” Mark turned to answer his roommate, who was now wide awake at the mention of cookies. “Sorry, it’s all gone.”

Jinyoung pouted. “Typical. Who was at the door?”

Mark stood, heading to the fridge to grab himself a bottle of water. “New girl,” he answered after chugging down the whole bottle. “Hence, the cookies.”

Jinyoung went around, opening up the fridge to grab himself a couple of eggs. He turned and spotted Mark’s pouty face. Jinyoung rolled his eyes as he grabbed a couple more eggs, much to Mark’s delight. “I can’t believe you answered the door in your boxers,” Jinyoung scoffed. “Poor girl must’ve had a heart attack.”

Mark laughed at the memory of your reaction and chose not to disclose his own, not wanting his friend to tease him. “Something like that.”

“What’s the new girl’s name?”

Mark opened his mouth to answer but no sound came out. He searched his mind but couldn’t find it. Jinyoung asked him again as he tried to remember every single detail of your conversation, just a mere ten minutes ago. He came up short again. “Umm…”

“You didn’t ask for her name?” Jinyoung obviously pointed out. “How could you accept her cookies and not ask her for her name?”

“She had to run,” Mark reasoned, which wasn’t a complete lie. “I’ll make sure to find out next time.”

_Will there be a next time?_ Mark sure hoped so.

* * *

##  **Day Seven**

The next time Mark met you was behind the counter at the new coffee shop that just opened up on his street. Dressed in his work uniform, he thought he’d pop in to grab himself and his partner coffees to go.

“New girl,” he greeted you with a smile, not failing to notice the twinkle in your eye at his presence. “You work here?”

“Actually, I own it,” you declared with a shy chuckle and Mark gaped at you in shock. He watched you tucked your hair behind your ear again, realising that it may be a habit of yours, and he almost reached out to do it for you. “I was trying to say that to you when we met but had to dash. You’re a paramedic?”

“I am,” it was his turn to beam proudly this time. “I was told at a young age that I always had a hero complex, so I thought I might as well put it to good use.”

“I didn’t see that coming,” you laughed admittedly. “Though, I actually thought you might’ve been a firefighter or something.”

“I get that a lot,” Mark chuckled. “By the way, I don’t know if you realised but we never actually ended up exchanging names.”

He stood there patiently, observing as you thought to yourself and smiling when you finally came to the realisation that he was correct.

“That’s awkward,” you shook your head before offering your name. “And you are?”

“Mark. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mark,” you smiled brightly and he felt like he was floating on clouds. _What the hell was happening is to him? _“I don’t want to hold you up from saving lives. What can I get you?”

“Just two caramel lattes, thanks.”

“Coming right up, hero.”

Mark blushed before handing you his payment. Moving to one of the benches by the window, he watched as you headed over to the coffee machine and get to work. With your tongue sticking out at the corner of your lips and eyebrows furrowed in concentration, he couldn’t stop the smile that came to his face. You were absolutely adorable and he was ruined.

Mark stood as you approached, handing him the coffee cups in its tray along with a brown paper bag. “What’s this?”

“A bagel each. For you and your partner,” you laughed at his confused expression. “I know you didn’t order it. It’s on the house.”

“Are you sure?” Mark asked and you nodded as you ushered him towards the exit.

“I’m sure. Now, go and save some people.”

Mark called out his thanks to you before walking out of the cafe. He laughed to himself, so completely distracted by you that he wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings. Turning to the direction of where he parked the ambulance, he bumped into someone.

Luckily, he was holding the paper bag and tray with one hand so he could use his free hand to grab onto the person and stop them from falling. He loosened his grip once he had the girl steady on her feet. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there,” Mark explained. “Are you okay?”

“I am, thanks,” the girl waved him off. “I wasn’t looking where I was going either. Thank you for catching me. I have to go.”

Mark watched as the girl walked away and he couldn’t help but shake the feeling that she was familiar to him. He was sure he’d seen her before but where?

That night, Mark got home from his shift and saw Jinyoung brooding on the couch.

“Guess who I saw at the new cafe,” Mark called out to him as he headed to the fridge. “I saw the new girl.”

“I bet you did,” Jinyoung mumbled to himself.

“What was that?”

“Good for you,” Jinyoung replied, voice clipped. Mark raised his brow in question at his friend’s attitude and Jinyoung just shook his head. “Sorry, it was a long day at work. I’m going to bed.”

_What was up with him?_

* * *

##  **Day Twenty-One**

“Is she not working today?” Mark asked the girl over the counter when he entered your cafe. He’d been going there everyday for the past two weeks and you had always been the one to greet him without fail.

Mark couldn’t help and hide the disappointment at not seeing you there. It was his favourite part of the day. How you would greet him with your smile brighter than a thousand suns and cheered him on when he had to go.

It looked like he wasn’t getting any of that today.

“Actually we’re glad you’re here,” the girl said relieved. “You know our boss, she’s such a klutz. So of course, she cut her finger open again today.”

“Please, tell me she’s not trying to patch herself up,” Mark pleaded with her, completely aware of your clumsiness. He’d witnessed it for himself on multiple occasions. Your clumsiness also extended to your patching up skills and that was why he was a little worried.

“She’s in the back,” the girl sighed. “Please, save her.”

Mark laughed as he gestured for the girl to lead the way. His heart ached a little when he entered the kitchen and spotted you hunched over the sink. He could hear you sniffle as you attempted to clean the wound. “Let me look at it,” he said as he approached you.

“Mark, you’re here,” you still smiled brightly, in what he assumed was an attempt to mask how much it actually hurt. “You don’t have to. I can handle it. You have lives to save—”

“Including yours apparently,” he stated as he grabbed your hand. The feeling of your hand in his was something else entirely, but he couldn’t get himself to savour it at the moment. “You’re terrible at patching yourself up. Let me do it for you.”

“Is this how you speak to all of the people you help?” you scoffed at him, feigning offence.

Mark rolled his eyes. “You didn’t even want me to help you two seconds ago,” he countered before leading you to sit on a stool and grabbing the first aid kit. “I only speak sass to the stubborn ones.”

You waved him off and he guffawed, with you joining in as well. Eventually, he shook his head and brought your palm closer to his face so he could examine it properly.

“How you manage to do this, I’ll never understand,” Mark sighed as he reached for the ointment in your kit. “Lucky it’s not that deep, so you won’t need stitches. This ointment is going to sting though.”

“I’m used to it— _ow!_”

“I warned you.”

“You did that on purpose!”

Mark chuckled before blowing onto your palm to help settle the ointment. He then grabbed the bandage and started to wrap it tightly and securely around your hand. “Is it bad that I’m glad you hurt yourself today?”

Your eyes widened, “that’s totally mean.”

“I mean— wait let me explain,” he said as he finished securing the bandage, though he didn’t let go of your hand.

Mark thought back to how you always found a way to surprise him even though he had become a regular at your cafe. You would always add extra pastries for him with the excuse that he needed to be well fed to be able to do his job. Sometimes, you would leave endearing notes that never failed to make his heart flutter.

_God he was really falling for you_.

“I’ve been trying to come up with ways to return the favour for when you give me the extra food and notes. Now, it looks like I found a way to do that.”

“By patching me up every time I get hurt?” you asked curiously and he noded. “If you do that, I’m gonna end up owing you in just a few days.”

“I know you can’t help it,” Mark smiled. “Just try not to do any serious damage okay? People will miss seeing you at the cafe.”

“Including you?” you blurted out, by accident again from the way your blush tinted your cheeks.

“Especially me,” Mark found himself revealing. He needed to come up with a way to save himself. Fast. “Who else will give me free food?”

You punched him playfully on the arm with your uninjured hand and you both laughed again. He then found himself staring at you. With you staring back.

“I should go,” Mark sighed before getting up. “You’ll need to change that and redo the bandages every two hours. I think it goes without saying, you shouldn’t work in the cafe anymore today. Go home and do some paperwork or something.”

“Yes, boss,” you rolled your eyes.

“I’m serious. Don’t make me call in here today to check.” _He would anyway for good measure._

“Okay, I’ll go home,” you pouted and Mark nodded before he headed out the kitchen. Just as he reached the door, you grabbed his arm to halt him. “Thank you for your help. I mean it.”

“You’re welcome,” Mark responded before reluctantly continuing his path out of your reach.

* * *

##  **Day Forty**

Weeks passed and the two of you fell into a routine. Mark came in everyday for his coffee and you made sure to add in the side of pastries and endearing notes, whilst he made sure to patch you up every time you hurt yourself which happened more often than not.

Things between the two of you were starting to evolve. You were no longer just neighbours. No longer just sustenance and healing providers. You were friends now. _Maybe something even more_.

Mark visited the cafe more often in hopes to hang out with you. He got to know you. Your interests and your passions. Your heart. In doing so, he had allowed you to get to know him, too.

Mark liked the way your eyes lit up every time you talked about your new addition to the pastry selection that week. So much so, that he started to come up with his own suggestions to share with you. You were always thankful for them, rewarding him by inviting him to the cafe after hours — if his shift permitted — and getting him to be the taste tester for your new creation.

“You poisoned this, didn’t you?” Mark joked before tasting a blueberry croissant that you just baked.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” you laughed. “Who else would give me ideas?”

“I should get paid for this.”

“You are. With free food.”

“I meant in a way that doesn’t involve me getting fat,” Mark pointed to his gut.

“Please, I’ve seen you without a shirt on,” you reminded him. “You don’t have an ounce of fat in there.”

“That was before. I’ll show you how fat I am now,” Mark lifted his shirt just a little bit to tease you and laughed when you turned yourself around. “It’s nothing you haven’t seen before.”

“You are a hazard to my kitchen,” you told him, still unable to face him. “Please, do not take your shirt off. I have to work here and would rather not be reminded of you shirtless everyday.”

“Too distracting?” he teased further and you turned to throw a tea towel at him. “I’m only teasing.”

“No more freebies for you, sir.”

“Oh, come on.”

* * *

##  **Day Forty-One**

You shared laughs and you also shared tears.

Mark came in after hours again today but you knew from the look of him that something bad had happened. His body was hunched over and his eyes were glassy.

“Mark, are you okay?” you asked as you reached him, and his body sagged so you had to catch him. His body shook and you felt your shirt getting wet. _He was crying_. “What happened?”

Mark didn’t want to come to the cafe. He didn’t want you to see him like this and yet his feet knew exactly where to take him, to seek the comfort he so desperately needed. He was afraid he’d be showing you too much of himself, but as you cradled his face in your hands — your own face filling with worry — he knew he’d made the right decision.

“I lost a patient today,” Mark revealed. “I don’t normally get affected like this. We lose a few patients depending on the situation, but he was just a little boy. Barely five years old. He didn’t even make it to the hospital. He— he died in my arms.”

“Oh, Mark,” you brought him in for a hug, rubbing his back in soothing circles. “I’m sure you did all that you could. This isn’t your fault.”

“I should’ve been able to save him. I—”

“You can’t save everyone,” you reminded him gently. “You might be a hero, but you’re only human. These are things beyond your control.”

_Like the way he felt for you._

“Can I please stay here a bit longer?” he asked, returning your hug.

“As long as you need.”

_Forever_, he thought. Though, it might be too soon for that.

* * *

##  **Day Fifty**

Mark woke up with the biggest smile on his face as he remembered the events of the night before. The two of you hanging out in your apartment. _That’s right_, somewhere finally outside of the cafe.

_You both had your first day off in weeks and decided to spend it together. After your well deserved sleep in, Mark knocked on your door and drove you around town to show you the sights since you hadn’t had the chance to see them yourself._

_“By the way, I got you a ‘Welcome’ present,” Mark announced before reaching over the back seat and grabbing a wrapped present. “I mean, it’s weeks late but I hope you like it.”_

_“You didn’t have to,” you smiled at him and Mark fell deeper._

_“Well, you brought cookies,” he reminded you with a laugh. “Jinyoung and I had to give something back or we wouldn’t be good neighbours.”_

_“Jinyoung?”_

_“Oh, that’s right,” Mark realised that you hadn’t met Jinyoung. “You didn’t get to meet him that day but he’s my roommate and my best friend.”_

_“That’s cute,” you beamed. “It must be nice to have him around.”_

_“It is. Now, enough about him. Open your present.”_

_Mark pulled over to the parking lot of the restaurant where the two of you were going to have lunch. He watched with keen eyes as your fingers gracefully glided on the wrapping paper before pulling at the bow. He watched your expression change from curiosity to complete elation and he knew then and there that he wanted to do anything in his power to make you happy._

_“The Ultimate Pastry CookBook?!” you turned to him in awe, reaching over as much as the seat belt would allow, and hugged him. “Mark, this is the best thing ever. Thank you so much!”_

_“I’m really glad you like it,” Mark exhaled before reluctantly pulling you off of him. “Now, come on. Time to eat.”_

_After lunch, you headed back to your apartment to try out some recipes from the cookbook and ate them as you watched movies through the night._

He knew now that his feelings for you could no longer be ignored. He was really falling for you and he knew that if he didn’t confess soon then he was going to go insane. Mark was a man of action so he decided that today was the day. He headed over to the cafe like usual except this time, he was armed with a speech and a question that he hoped you would say _yes_ to.

Mark arrived at the cafe and you waved him over happily. _Here goes nothing_.

“Hey, I have something to tell you,” Mark said nervously, once he reached you. “I—”

“I have something to tell you, too,” you interrupted him excitedly. He wanted to get his confession out of the way but he could see how badly you wanted to say something too, so he let you go first. “I met Jinyoung this morning!”

Mark didn’t expect this. “You what?”

“Met Jinyoung this morning,” you repeated excitedly. “Your mysterious roommate you never told me about. I made his coffee for him. I didn’t even realise until I handed him his cup and he told me his roommate recommended this place. He seemed to be in a hurry though so he was out of here before I could even introduce myself.”

“That’s uhh, that’s great,” Mark sighed, unable to shake the sudden jealousy that was growing inside of him. He didn’t want to talk about Jinyoung. He wanted to talk about his feelings for you. He certainly didn’t want you talking about Jinyoung. “Listen, I—”

You interrupted him again. “Yeah, he’s kinda cute,” you laughed, before placing his coffees in the tray and grabbing his pastry bag. “Anyway, what were you gonna say?”

_She thinks Jinyoung is cute? SHE THINKS JINYOUNG IS CUTE?! What am I gonna do now? I can’t win against him. I—_

“Mark, are you okay?” you asked, worriedly. “I lost you there.”

Mark gulped nervously as he tried to find a way to get out of this one. “Yeah, sorry. I just remembered something. I have to go.”

“Wait, you wanted to tell me—”

“It’s not important,” he interrupted, grabbing his items and quickly moving towards the door. “I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.”

Mark didn’t wait for you to respond before he exited your cafe. He didn’t bother to look back at you, choosing to keep going because if he didn’t, you might witness his heart break right in front of your eyes. Questions flooded his mind until he reached his vehicle.

_Did he read this whole thing wrong? Was everything he was seeing and feeling completely one-sided?_

_Did he miss his chance with you?_


	2. 2

**Day Fifty (night)**

Finally arriving at your building after a long day at work, you paused in front of Mark’s apartment. Worried after the way he acted that morning, you deliberated knocking on his front door to find out if everything was okay. You took a deep breath and lifted your fist up to knock.

“Hey, new girl,” Jinyoung greeted as he opened the door and you laughed before finally exchanging names since you couldn’t this morning, after his hasty exit. “What can I do for you?”

“I was wondering if I could speak with Mark?” you asked nervously. “He came in this morning and said he had something important to talk about but just left after I mentioned that you and I met.”

Jinyoung smiled warmly at you. “He’s actually at work. He messaged me during the day to let me know that he’s doing a graveyard shift so he won’t be back until tomorrow morning. Wanna leave a message for him?”

“Nah, it’s okay,” you answered after contemplating for a moment. “I’ll just send him a text in the morning or something. He’s probably busy right now. Thanks anyway!”

Offering him a bright smile, you turned towards the direction of your apartment but paused again when you remembered something. “By the way, are you okay?” you asked.

“Me?”

“Yeah, you left rather hastily this morning, too.”

Jinyoung laughed, leaving you confused. “I’m great, actually. All thanks to you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah… the coffee was amazing.” he answered, leaving you more confused.

“Oh, well I’m glad you enjoyed it. Feel free to stop by anytime!” you replied before heading off to your apartment.

As soon as you entered your home, you scrolled through your phone, finding no messages or missed calls from Mark. You thought he would’ve let you know about his shift tonight especially if he didn’t plan on stopping by the cafe. You thought about messaging him, but remembered Jinyoung’s words and decided against it.

You were sure you’d see him tomorrow anyway.

* * *

**Day Fifty-Four**

You didn’t see him the next day. Nor the day after. Or the day after that.

Today was the fourth day running that Mark has missed and you were starting to get worried. You called and messaged him but he had left those unanswered and it was slowly driving you mental.

During breaks at work, you tried to think back to the last time you saw him to see if you’d done or said anything to warrant this silence. You always came up short. All you remembered mentioning was meeting Jinyoung and how you thought he was _cute—_

_Oh. OH._ Would that really be the reason why Mark would stop talking to you?

No, it couldn’t be. Why would it be? It’s not like he had feelings for you like you did for him.

_Wait, what? Feelings? For Mark?_

The thought stumped you throughout the whole day. You reminisced about every single time you spent with him and the smile on your face and butterflies in your tummy grew bigger.

_Shit_, you had feelings for him.

As the realisation dawned on you, another one reared its ugly head. The fact that you had screwed it all up by opening your mouth. You just had to be clumsy in all aspects of your life.

Looking back at the last message you sent him, you’d asked him if you had done anything wrong. Of course, that also went unanswered. It saddened you that something as small as what you said drove him away.

But maybe you were wrong. Maybe he was just busy. Maybe he didn’t even have feelings for you. 

Frustrated, you decided to stop playing this guessing game. It wasn’t getting you anywhere and frankly, you didn’t even know if it was worth it. The ball was on Mark’s court now. It was up to him whether he wanted to fix this or if he wanted to just leave it.

All you were gonna do was prepare yourself for a future without him in your life.

* * *

**Day Fifty-Seven**

Mark sulked for a whole week. He didn’t come to see you and he didn’t come to talk to you. He didn’t even know why he did this and it was slowly driving him and his partner Jackson insane.

“Is there a reason as to why I’ve had to deal with mediocre coffee for a whole week now?” Jackson whined as Mark handed him another coffee cup that didn’t belong to your cafe. “Where is the free food? The endearing notes that get us through the day? What did you do?”

Mark rolled his eyes as he took a sip of his equally mediocre coffee. “I didn’t do anything.”

Jackson was the one to roll his eyes this time. “Yes, you did,” he scoffed. “When things like this happen, it’s never the girl’s fault. It’s always ours. Now, tell me what you did, so I can help you fix it. So, we could go back to drinking the best damn coffee on this earth instead of this shit.”

So, Mark told him everything. From the moment you knocked on his door to the moment he fell for you. To the moment he decided to confess and to the moment you tore his heart to shreds.

“Okay, so after everything you’ve told me,” Jackson tried to recall every detail. “I still don’t understand why we’re drinking shit coffee.”

Mark groaned, “because I was about to confess to her and she likes Jinyoung.”

“Okay, but you didn’t confess to her and she doesn’t like Jinyoung.”

“Jackson, are you listening to the words that are coming out of my mouth?”

“Are you listening to them?” Jackson asked before dodging a punch from Mark. “No, hear me out. All she said was that he was cute. That was it.”

“Which means she likes Jinyoung,” Mark replied slowly to try and get Jackson to understand.

“Sure, she may find him attractive,” Jackson confirmed. “That doesn’t mean that she likes him. The girl met him once. For all of two minutes. You think that erases all the times that she spent with you and all the feelings that she has for you?”

“Yes!” Mark answered exasperatedly. “It does mean that she likes Jinyoung and that it erases all her feelings for me— wait, what? She has feelings for me?”

“I said what I said.”

Mark looked at Jackson like he’d grown two heads and the latter shook his head — mumbled a ‘_do I have to do everything around here?_’ to himself — before explaining everything to Mark.

From the moment you started leaving notes on their food to the moment you trusted him with your well-being. Until the moment you allowed him into your cafe — a place you considered a safe haven — which meant that you allowed him into your heart.

“Another proof is the fact that she’s noticed that you’ve been ignoring her,” Jackson finalised his evidence. “How many times has she called you and texted you?”

Mark took his phone out of his pocket. Scrolling through his notifications, he saw five missed calls and three text messages from you.

> **Monday [12:00] new girl:** hey, you haven’t stopped by the shop. is everything okay?
> 
> **Tuesday [12:00] new girl:** i made your favourite today. are you going to come by and pick them up?
> 
> **Wednesday [12:00] new girl:** are we okay? have i done something wrong?

Sighing, Mark closed his eyes and leaned his head on the steering wheel. “I screwed up, didn’t I?” he asked Jackson rhetorically.

“Yes, you did,” Jackson patted him on the shoulder. “But not beyond repair. You can still apologise and make it up to her. Please do it soon. I can’t stand another day of this mediocre coffee.”

Mark arrived back at his apartment building that night and just as he stepped out of the lift, he saw a glimpse of your figure as you entered your apartment. He almost called out for you but found his voice stuck in his throat. It had only been a week but he didn’t realise how much he missed you until he saw you tonight.

He made his mind up then.

* * *

**Day Fifty-Eight**

You sighed for the umpteenth time that day as you put up one of the last chairs on the table. It had been a long day and you couldn’t wait to get out of there, go home and curl up in front of the TV. This was how you’d been spending your nights since Mark stopped visiting to try your new pastries. Unintentionally, you also stopped making them.

Wiping off the sweat from your brow, you leaned backwards to stretch. That was when you heard the sound of the bell of your shop, signalling that someone had come in. You really needed to get rid of your habit of not locking the door once you’ve closed up shop.

“Sorry, we’re closed…” you trailed off when you saw Mark standing by the entryway. He stood there and smiled apologetically at you, but you weren’t ready to forgive so easily. You stood there and debated whether you should let him stay or kick out. Ultimately you decided to hear him out.

“I see you’re still alive, then. I thought you’d ceased to exist when you dropped off the face of the earth.”

Standing there, you noticed Mark flinch at your words and the tone of your voice but he knew he deserved it.

“I see you’re still in one piece,” he tried to joke but you didn’t laugh. He stared at the floor before producing the items in his hands. “I was hoping you had some time for an old friend.”

“Well, you certainly know how to get me to say yes,” you retorted, pointing at the flowers and the takeout. “Unfortunately for you, I’m not giving in so easily.”

“I promise to tell you everything,” Mark resigned; he was planning on doing that anyway. You took a moment to deliberate his offer and he smiled when you nodded in acceptance. “Would you like to take these to the back with you and I’ll finish and lock up here for you?”

“Fine,” you answered, approaching him to grab the items off him. Your fingers grazed his skin and you felt the sparks fly due to his touch. It seemed like he felt it too, when he looked up to meet your gaze. “I’ll go ahead and take these.”

Quickly dashing to the kitchen, Mark chuckled to himself at your reaction. Maybe Jackson was right. Maybe you did have feelings for him.

When he entered the kitchen, he found the food already laid out on the bench and the flowers in a vase. He warily approached, unsure if he should take the seat next to you, until you pulled the stool out and handed him his cutlery.

You genuinely smiled at him when he sat, a smile that he had missed so much. “So, tell me what you’ve been up to this past week.”

So he did. Mark told you all the minuscule and huge things that he got up to and you listened attentively like you always did. You laughed when he cracked a joke or told you another stupid thing that Jackson did and boy did he miss your laugh. Then, he nudged you with his shoulder and signaled that it was your turn to share.

So you did. He rested his cheek on his palm as he listened to you describe your week to him. From the handful of strange customers that came in to the cafe to the amount of cuts and burns you endured; to which he grabbed your arm and fussed over you.

“I’m fine,” you pulled your arms back and waved him off. “I’ve patched myself up a thousand times before without you and I’ve been watching how you do it so I’m a lot better at it now. I can do it.”

“But you shouldn’t have to.”

“It’s not like I have a choice,” you sighed before turning to stare at the bench. “Especially if you disappear on me again.”

“About that,” Mark sighed too, unsure of where to begin. “I—”

“You don’t need to explain,” you flashed him a tight smile and stood up to clear the bench. “I’m sure you had your reasons and it’s fine. I shouldn’t depend on you so much anyway especially when—”

“But, I want you to,” Mark interrupted and braced himself when you turned to face him. He knew it was now or never.

“What?” you asked nervously.

Mark took a deep breath before letting everything out. “I want to be an important person in your life,” he smiled longingly. “I want you to rely on me. To depend on me. To miss me. To care about me. To….” he trailed off.

“To what?” you implored him.

Standing up, he walked over and stopped when he was right in front of you. He shakily grabbed your hands and held them firmly in his. This was it. There was no going back. Gazing into your eyes, he replied. “I want you to love me. Like, I love you.”

Mark watched as your eyes widened and your breath hitched, your mouth opening to reply but no words came out. He almost let your hands go, preparing himself for your rejection until you squeezed his hands back. Looking up to meet your gaze, he saw you staring lovingly back at him.

“Why didn’t you say anything before?” you asked.

“Actually, I tried to. I was going to confess the last time I was here at the cafe.”

“Why didn’t you?”

Smiling wistfully, Mark intertwined your hands with his before leading you back to the bench. Sitting on the stool, he situated you to stand between his legs and looked at your connected hands. Running his thumbs across your knuckles, he confessed everything he felt about you.

From the moment you knocked on his door — and unintentionally knocking on his heart — to the moment he saw you again and brightened up his life. To the warmth and love you awakened within him as he tried to get to know you. To the moment you shattered his heart to pieces.

“I didn’t because you said that you thought Jinyoung was cute,” Mark winced as he answered, knowing it was a lame excuse.

“You thought that because I said he was attractive that it meant that I didn’t have feelings for you?” you asked taken aback, softening when he nodded in reply. Cupping his face in your hands, you lifted his head up to look at you. “Mark, you didn’t have to go through all this suffering.”

“I didn’t?” he asked, confused yet full of hope.

You shook your head. “Do you really think that meeting Jinyoung would erase everything I feel for you?”

“That’s what Jackson asked me. I guess it’s because I didn’t know how you felt about me.”

“I can see where you’re coming from,” you told him. “To be honest, I didn’t realise how I felt about you either, not until you disappeared. I thought about what you meant to me and that’s when I realised.”

“You have feelings for me,” Mark stated unsure, but at least it was no longer a question.

“I have feelings for you,” you confirmed. “I think I always have. I can honestly say that if you had confessed that day, I wouldn’t have rejected you.”

Mark looked down again and sighed, “Then I just had to go and screw it up didn’t I?”

Rolling your eyes, you brought his face up to look at you again. “You didn’t, silly. But, I swear to god if you don’t kiss me right now, I will—”

Suddenly, Mark was kissing you, effectively shutting you up. The kiss was soft and gentle. Careful and hesitant. After a moment, you found yourself responding, smiling into the kiss at how adorable he was. He groaned when he felt you thread your fingers into his hair and you took this opportunity to slip your tongue into his mouth.

Recovering quickly, Mark slid his hands down your sides to the back of your legs. Taking his cue as soon as he grabbed the back of your thigh, you jumped and Mark hoisted you to the bench. The need for air became too much then and you both pulled away, catching your breath as your foreheads rested on each other.

“I love you,” Mark whispered against your lips.

“I love you,” you responded with a smile and a kiss on the corner of his mouth.

That kiss wasn’t the last you shared that night.

* * *

**Day Sixty**

“Good Morning!” you dutifully called out as soon as someone entered the cafe. Too busy adjusting the pastries in the display, you didn’t notice who had come in until you heard his voice.

“Hey,” you heard Mark greet Jinyoung’s girlfriend, who was busy working on some lesson plans in one of your booths. “Are you making this shop your office?”

You smiled as you heard her reply to him, sure that she didn’t even bother to look at him. You knew how busy she was — and the real reason for her constant visits — so you decided to go and rescue her from your boyfriend.

_Your boyfriend. Mark was your boyfriend._ You weren’t sure you’d ever get used to calling him that.

“Excuse me, is this man bothering you?” you asked as you approached her table with a smile, which she returned. You then turned your attention to Mark with a raised brow. “Please don’t bother our customers.”

Mark laughed then and you bit your lip to stop yourself from joining him. His laugh was the most contagious sound after all.

“You know, I’m not here to bother the customers,” he replied coolly before delivering a smirk. “But I am about to bother the owner of the shop.”

“Oh, are you now?” you chuckled and ran away towards the back of the counter with Mark hot on your tail. He easily caught up, wrapping his arms around you from behind, caging you in his arms as he littered your cheek with kisses.

“Ugh, lovers! Turn your eyes away,” you heard Jinyoung exclaim and you burst into a fit of giggles when Mark flipped him the bird.

“He’s right about one thing,” Mark whispered in your ear, sending shivers down your spine.

“Hm? What’s that?”

“We are lovers. I love you and you love me.”

Rolling your eyes, you chided him. “Stop, being a sap. I have work to do here.”

Mark pouted adorably at you. “If I help you out, will we get out of here faster?”

“Um, that’s not how this works. I can’t just close the shop.”

“Ugh, fine. Can I still help anyway?”

“Fine, you big baby,” you laughed as he grinned at you. “Just, do some work and stop distracting me with kisses.”

Mark smirked, turning you around in his hold so that you were facing him and backed you into the counter. “Just one last kiss?” he asked and you rolled your eyes before giving in.

“I love you,” Mark declared as he cupped your face and kissed you like it was his only purpose in life.

“I love you,” you whispered and kissed him back.


End file.
